Cigarette substitute inhaler



oct. 8, 1968 A, LAMPERT 3,404,692

CIGARETTE SUBSTITUTE INHALIER` Filed NOV, 22. 1966 INVNTOR. BY WOW 'T fbf, y,

United States Patent() 3,404,692 CIGARETTE SUBSTITUTE INHALER Antal Lampert, 19 Webster St., Bridgeport, Conn.

Filed Nov. 22, 1966, Ser, No. 596,127 2 Claims. (Cl. 131-170) ABSTRACT F THE DISCLOSURE This invention relates to an improved cigarette substitute inhalant, and more particularly to providing an inhalant in the shape of and exactly simulating the taste and aroma of a cigarette.

Cigarette'substitute inhalants are well known and are appreciated by those who wish to overcome their cigarette smoking habit or by those who enjoy smoking yet are compelled by their employment or other reasons to remain in places where smoking is prohibited. It is now recognized that smoking has certain deleterious effects on the throat, lungs and other parts of the respiratory system due to inhalation of tars and nicotines. Therefore, a Well made substitute would be well accepted if it has close taste reproduction as well as close physical similarity to the usual cigarette while eliminating these poisons, It is well known that cigarette smoking is a psychological as well as a physical habit `and that a cigarette substitute must not only taste like the real thing but also feel and look like a real cigarette to satisfy the visual and tactile senses of the smoker.

The known substitutes have gone far to simulate the appearance and the feel of a real cigarette but they all have fallen short of accurate taste reproduction. Furthermore, the structures of all of these known cigarette substitutes are similar as they comprise a tubular member open at both ends, through which air may be drawn into and through a mass of impregnated material housed therein and then into the mouth of the user. These open tubular members allow the tobacco volatiles, with which the absorbent material is impregnated, to escape over a period of time, after which the cigarette substitute no longer has any taste.

Accordingly, it is a primary object of this invention to provide a substitute prepared by impregnating a mass of cotton or other absorbent material, to be used as a filler in a cigarette substitute inhalant, with tobacco aromatics and volatiles in order to exactly reproduce the taste of a cigarette.

Another object is to provide a superior cigarette substitute inhalant in the form of a sealed unit, having a filler of absorbent material which has been made in accordance with my method, and which will retain its aroma for a considerable period of time.

To accomplish these objects, a method of making a cigarette substiute is provided which comprises the steps of: extracting the aromatic oils and volatiles from tobacco by boiling the tobacco in a quantity of water for a considerable period of time, inserting a quantity of absorbent material into the boiled mixture so as to absorb the mixture and become impregnated with the aromatic oils and volatiles, drying the quantity of absorbent material and finally reducing the absorbent material to a plurality of plugs which may be inserted into suitable tubular cigarette substitute structures.

Patented Oct. 8, 1968 Other objects and further details of that which I believe to be novel and my invention will be clear from the following description and claims taken With the accompanying drawing, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a cigarette substitute inhalant constructed in accordance with rny invention;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the inhalant of FIG. l; and

FIG. 3 is a modified form of my inhalant having an alternative mouthpiece in the form of a cigarette holder.

In the drawing there are illustrated two forms of the cigarette substitute inhalant constructed in accordance with my invention. The cigarette substitute of FIGS. l and 2 comprises a cylindrical tubular body 10, preferably made of plastic, having a closed end 11 and being open at its opposite end. The closed end 11 of the body portion 10 has been treated to give the appearance of an ashcovered burning cigarette end 20. The open end of the body 10 may be closed by a mouthpiece 12, also made of plastic, having a cylindrical boss 14 which may be pressed into the open end of the body 10 to firmly secure the mouthpiece 12 in the tubular body. The mouthpiece has a normal wall 16 closing one end and is open at its other end, thus it is readily apparent that when the mouthpiece is secured in the tubular body 10 a sealed unit is provided having a closed chamber 17. A plug of impregnated cotton or other similar absorbent material 18 which has been saturated Iaccording to the method which will be described, is disposed in 'the chamber 17.

In FIG. 3 there is illustrated a modified form of the cigarette substitute inhalant. The basic elements of the modified inhalant are similar to the first one described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2 and similar parts are given similar reference numerals with a prime added.

The FIGURE 3 modification has a diferent mouthpiece 12 which is formed in the shape of a cigarette holder. The mouthpiece is provided with a boss 14 at its leading end for mating with the open cylindrical end of the body portion 10. In this modification, the end of the cylindrical boss 14 is open, and the rearward end of the mouthpiece 12', which includes a tapered portion 22 terminating in a beaded end 24 is closed. A sealed unit is produced after having introduced the plug of impregnated cotton 18 into the tubular body, and the mouthpiece 12' has been pressed into place in the open end of the body 10.

It should be noted that in both modiiications the plug of impregnated cotton is disposed within the sealed chamber 17 and 17' of a sealed unit so as to guarantee the freshness and integrity of taste for the longest period of time. In order to use the inhalant it is merely necessary to puncture both closed ends with a suitable tool so as to allow air to be drawn into the unit, through the plug of impregnated cotton 18 and into the mouth of the smoker. It is highly desirable that the inhalant be a sealed unit since it will last for many years without losing its taste. It is completely water and moisture proof, factors which also contribute to its long life and accurate taste reproduction.

My method of impregnating a mass of absorbent material so as to exactly reproduce the taste of a cigarette is as follows, the amounts of the desirable ingredients being given by way of example. Approximately thirty pounds of tobacco are placed in a vat containing approximately sixty gallons of water and the mixture is heated to its boiling point. Once the mixture has been brought to its boiling point it is maintained at that temperature for about an hour during which time about one pound of ordinary table salt is added to the boiling mixture for aiding in drawing or leaching the aromatic tobacco oils from the tobacco. The mixture is then cooled for about three hours to insure that it has reached room temperature. A large wad of cotton or some other suitable absorbent material is then immersed into the cooled mixture and is soaked therein for about an hour so that it becomes completely saturated with the mixture. The saturated cotton wad is then removed from the mixture and is dried in a drier. Then a small plug of cotton is removed from the dried, larger cotton wad and is molded into a suitable shape for insertion into the tubular body member 10. If desired, at this point, a small portion of the shaped cotton plug may be dipped into oil of menthol. Finally, the plug is inserted into the tubular body member 10 and the cigarette substitute is sealed either by insertion of the mouthpiece 12 or the mouthpiece 12 into the open end of the body 10. About ten thousand cigarette substitutes can be made from the amounts given in the above example.

It has been found that the impregnation of a cotton wad according to this method is highly superior to any of the known methods and that the taste of a cigarette substitute made in accordance with my method is an exact simulation of the taste of a real cigarette.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A cigarette substitute inhaler comprising a tubular body portion having closed mouthpiece and distal ends forming @sealed airtight casing, anabsgrbetlt99391111@ inserted within the tubular body portion', said plug being impregnated with aromatic tobacco volatiles obtained by boiling a tobacco-water-salt mixture and soaking the cotton wad in the aromatic oils leached from the tobacco at room temperature with subsequent drying, ,the ends of the sealed casing being punctured prior` to useas an inhaler.

2. The cigarette substitute inhaler of claim 1 in which the dried, tobacco-impregnated cotton wad is dipped into oil of menthol before insertion into the casing.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 5/1967 Rindner 12S-201 MELVIN D. REIN, Primary Examiner. 

